


Memories flooding in

by sugarandspace



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Memories, Near Death Experience (past), Past Child Abuse, Post-Episode: s03e22 All Good Things...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 09:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20469155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarandspace/pseuds/sugarandspace
Summary: Magnus has always hated the meetings that take place underwater.





	Memories flooding in

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [sh_ficletinstruments](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sh_ficletinstruments) collection. 

> **Prompt:**
> 
> Painting by Ian Rayer Smith.

In all his years, Magnus has been to many different places for meetings. 

The Seelie realm, various Downworlder meeting places, a shady bar or a hundred - hell, even Edom.

As he stares at the water at his feet he almost thinks that he’d rather pick Edom, if the realm were still standing.

He’s never liked the meetings that take place underwater.

But when you’re about to ask for a favor from the leader of the merpeople, it’s only fair to go to them, rather than ask for them to come to you. Politeness and all.

Magnus checks the elixir one more time, making sure it’s the exact shade of blue as it should be before he drinks it and starts walking to the ocean. As he goes underwater, he pays very little mind to the freezing temperature of the water, the sensation covered by the powerful flood of memories. 

A dark night centuries ago.

Murky waters.

Inhaling that water - feeling it coat his tongue and fill his throat.

Magnus fights off the need to breathe as long as he can, and the first breath he takes is careful, hesitant even though he knows the elixir should work.

And it does.

Magnus is able to breathe just fine, as if he were still on the sunny shore instead of several feet below the surface. 

He looks up and sees the sun reflect from the surface of the water, its golden rays deformed through the waves.

It is not night and he is not a small, scared boy.

He moves forward, eager to get the meeting out of the way. Whenever the memories threaten to consume him, he looks up at the golden light of the sun and lets it ground him.

* * *

When Magnus portals back to their apartment he’s completely dry and visibly unaffected by the meeting or its haunting location. Inside, however, he feels centuries younger and cold.

“How did it go?” A familiar voice asks, meeting Magnus in the living room where Magnus is seriously considering pouring himself a drink. But he’s trying not to lean on that coping mechanism so heavily, so he turns and sits down on the couch instead.

Just like he predicted, Alec sits down next to him.

“She agreed to the deal,” Magnus tells him, leaning his elbows to his knees and holding his head in his hands.

“That’s not what I meant,” Alec says gently and Magnus smiles to his palms as he feels a warm hand stroking the place between his shoulder blades, underneath which the coldness still creeps. “How are you feeling?”

“Not great,” Magnus tells honestly.

It’s a work in progress, but Magnus feels like he might have found a new favorite way of dealing with bad days.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!


End file.
